Darren Jesse has stepped out of the shadow of Ben Folds (he was their drummer), establishing himself as a terrific talent in his own right. His self-titled debut is one of the three best albums to come out of town in the past year. The second song, “A.M. Slow Golden Hit,” sets the album’s tone […]
Chris Parker
Bio: After a fond stint in the Triangle, Chris Parker lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where he writes about music and politics for a variety of newspapers and magazines. He has written about music for INDY Week since 2002.
Posted inMusic
Still leaving the Nightlight on for ya
If you’re a music enthusiast, it sounds like a dream: Your own rock club. Certainly for Isaac Trogdon and Lauren Ford it was something of a dream; but as fresh new graduates of UNC, it was something else more important: a job. “We had both been traveling abroad the summer of 2002. When we came […]
Posted inNews
Homebrew
A winter wind blows through the heart of Bellafea’s Family Tree EP, both in references to seasonal cold and in the dim, gray mood that lingers about the songs. Singer/guitarist Heather McEntire sings with hushed, breathy care, conjuring in her timorous little-girl vocals a child peering from behind the curtains at a stark, unforgiving world. […]
Posted inNews
Walking in both worlds
To the layperson, the producer is a sometimes invisible part of any recorded piece of music. While different levels of fidelity and production are apparent in some recordings, for many music lovers what a producer does is somewhat ineffable. That’s the way they like it, in general, because while they are usually musicians themselves, they […]
Posted inNews
Brian Paulson
He was born in the Great White North, and he’s put his mark on a number of the Midwest’s signature acts from Soul Asylum, Arcwelder and Jesus Lizard to Wilco, Son Volt and Golden Smog. Brian Paulson has avoided easy categorization; though he definitely has a sound, it just doesn’t remain in one place. “I […]
Posted inNews
Walking in both worlds
To the layperson, the producer is a sometimes invisible part of any recorded piece of music. While different levels of fidelity and production are apparent in some recordings, for many music lovers what a producer does is somewhat ineffable. That’s the way they like it, in general, because while they are usually musicians themselves, they […]
Posted inNews
Chris Stamey
The Music Lover He remembers being 5 years old when he made his first recording. Chris Stamey may not have been born to produce music, but he took to it pretty quick. Whether listening, playing or recording, music’s been a part of Stamey’s life since early on. “I grew up around classical music. My father […]
Posted inNews
Rick Miller
In his straw hat, overalls and KFC goatee, Rick Miller may not look like the owner of the area’s best studio, but redneck culture has been good to him. As leader of Chapel Hill’s Southern Culture on the Skids, Miller’s released more than a dozen LPs and EPs, including three for major label Geffen, helping […]
Posted inNews
in rock for relief
The people who have put together the series of local tsunami relief shows have done an astounding job gathering a star-studded collection of local acts. One of this week’s benefits, on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Martin Street Music Hall, might be the most rocking show of them all. Credit Jett Rink, Snatches of Pink and […]
Posted inMusic
Bright moments
Conor Oberst got his first record deal when he was 14 and leading the band Commander Venus. While that label, Grass, was bought out and the bands jettisoned and dubbed the new label Wind-Up (which would go on to make millions off Creed), for Commander Venus’ tenure proved a cash cow that afforded Oberst the […]